International Business Machines Corporation

Lenovo (singapore) Pte. Ltd.

Venkatesan Selvaraj

Tamanna Zackaria Sait

Shoou Jiah Yiu

Yi Xia

Yuan Wx Li

Naveen C Sekhara

Chandramouli Radhakrishnan

Daljeet Singh

Meenakshi R Kaushik

Bao Lei

Ren J Yao

Shi Xin Ruan

Lei Bao

Yu Guo

Na Zhu

Vaishali Pandya

Zang Li

Liu Zhi Yong

Gangadhar Hariharan

Malathi K Nagamangala

Aksh Mittal

Embodiments of the invention relate to virtual link aggregation. One embodiment includes forming one or more virtual links using physical links connecting a first networking element, a second networking element and a third networking element. A first trigger status indication is used for blocking network traffic for avoiding traffic loops occurring over the one or more virtual links.

Loop avoidance for event-driven virtual link aggregation

An apparatus, a method, a system, and computer program product are disclosed for link aggregation group management. A method includes receiving an identifier from a device connected to a first port of a first switch, determining whether a second switch has a connection to the device on a first port of the second switch based on the identifier for the device, and autonomously configuring a link aggregation group comprising the first port of the first switch and the first port of the second switch in response to determining that the device is connected to the first port of the first switch and the first port of the second switch.

Link aggregation group management

Apparatuses, methods, systems, and program products are disclosed for controller-based dynamic routing in a software defined network environment. A gateway module receives a routing protocol control packet at a virtual gateway of a software defined network ('SDN'). The SDN includes one or more virtual gateways that connect the SDN to one or more external networks. A routing control module forwards the received routing protocol control packet to a controller for the SDN. The SDN controller updates a routing information base for the SDN based on the received routing protocol control packet. An update module sends at least a portion of the routing information base to one or more external routers connected to the SDN.

Controller-based dynamic routing in a software defined network environment

In one embodiment, a networking switch includes an interswitch link (ISL) interface configured to communicate with a second networking switch via an ISL and a networking port configured to connect to an access switch in Layer-2 (L2) via a virtual link aggregation (vLAG) with the second networking switch. The networking switch includes a virtual router redundancy protocol (VRRP) module configured to perform active interact protocol (IP) forwarding. Moreover, the VRRP module is configured to indicate a status of the networking switch to the second networking switch via the ISL. The status is one of: initialization when the networking switch is not currently active (INIT), back-up status when the networking switch is acting as a back-up switch (BACK-UP), or master status when the networking switch is acting as a master switch (MASTER). In addition, the networking switch is positioned at a boundary between L2 and Layer-3 (L3).

Active IP forwarding in an event driven virtual link aggregation (vLAG) system

In one embodiment, a method for providing virtual link aggregation (vLAG) includes forming a third logical port using a first logical port and a second logical port; determining first networking protocol state information corresponding to the third logical port using the first networking system, where the first networking protocol state information includes an indication of whether the first networking system is capable of communicating with the second networking system via an interswitch link (ISL) The method also includes storing a first networking protocol state information corresponding to the third logical port using the first networking system; communicating the first networking protocol state information to the second networking system via the and storing the first networking protocol state information using the second networking system.

Spanning tree protocol (STP) implementation on an event driven virtual link aggregation (vLAG) system

Embodiments of the invention relate to automatically configuring a Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) device port in an edge virtual bridging (EVB) network environment. One embodiment includes sending, by a virtual machine (VM) in an EVB network, a message to a device that implements TRILL protocol. The device communicates with a table using the message. Network information is obtained from the table by the device. A port for the device is automatically configured based on the network information. The device has the TRILL protocol either enabled or disabled.

Configuration of transparent interconnection of lots of links (TRILL) protocol enabled device ports in edge virtual bridging (EVB) networks

In one embodiment, a system includes a first networking system and a second networking system, each system having a plurality of physical networking ports, a controller, and a memory subsystem, with a first logical port being formed using one or more of the first system's plurality of physical networking ports, a second logical port being formed using one or more of the second system's plurality of physical networking ports, logic adapted to form a third logical port using the first logical port and the second logical port, wherein the first system's controller includes logic adapted to store a first networking protocol state information corresponding to a third logical port using the first memory subsystem and to communicate the first networking protocol state information to the second networking system, with the second system's controller being adapted to store the first networking protocol state information.

Spanning tree protocol (STP) implementation on an event driven virtual link aggregation (VLAG) system

In one embodiment, a method for providing virtual link aggregation (vLAG) in a transparent interconnection of lots of links (TRILL)-enabled network, includes creating a virtual routing bridge logically connected to a first physical routing bridge and a second physical routing bridge to form a vLAG group at an edge of the TRILL-enabled network; determining a first distribution tree linking the first physical routing bridge to every other routing bridge in the TRILL-enabled network in a non-repeating fashion, ending with the second physical routing bridge; determining a second distribution tree linking the second physical routing bridge to every other routing bridge in the TRILL-enabled network in a non-repeating fashion, ending with the first physical routing bridge; receiving a multicast packet at the virtual routing bridge from one of the physical routing bridges; and distributing the multicast packet according to either the first or the second distribution tree thereby preventing looping.

Virtual link aggregation extension (vLAG+) enabled in a trill-based fabric network

In one embodiment, a method for managing virtual link aggregation (vLAG) includes coupling a first networking switch with a second networking switch using an interswitch link (ISL), wherein the first networking switch is positioned at a boundary between Layer-2 (L2) and Layer-3 (L3), and wherein the second networking switch is positioned at the boundary between L2 and L3; creating a virtual link aggregation (vLAG) comprising connections between the first and second networking switches and an access switch in L2, wherein each networking switch comprises a virtual router redundancy protocol (VRRP) module; and interacting and modifying a VRRP state machine to perform active internet protocol (IP) forwarding when a connection between one of the networking switches and the access switch fails or one of the networking switches does not function properly.

In one embodiment, a system includes a TRILL-enabled network that includes a first physical routing bridge (RB) and a second physical RB, logic adapted for creating a virtual RB logically connected to the first and second physical RBs to form a vLAG group at an edge of the network, logic adapted for determining a first distribution tree linking the first physical RB to every other RB in the network in a non-repeating fashion, ending with the second physical RB, and logic adapted for determining a second distribution tree linking the second physical RB to every other RB in the network in a non-repeating fashion, ending with the first physical RB, wherein when a multicast packet is received by the virtual RB from one of the physical RBs, the multicast packet is distributed according to either the first or the second distribution tree thereby preventing looping.

Virtual link aggregation extension (VLAG+) enabled in a TRILL-based fabric network

In one embodiment, a networking system includes a first networking switch positioned at a boundary between Layer-2 (L2) and Layer-3 (L3), the first networking switch including a first virtual router redundancy protocol (VRRP) module, a second networking switch connected to the first networking switch via an interswitch link (ISL), the second networking switch being positioned at the boundary between L2 and L3 and including a second VRRP module, and an access switch positioned in L2, the access switch being configured to be connected to the first and second networking switches in a virtual link aggregation (vLAG), the first VRRP module being configured to perform active internet protocol (IP) forwarding when the second networking switch is not performing active IP forwarding, and the second VRRP module being configured to perform active IP forwarding when the first networking switch is not performing active IP forwarding.

Active IP forwarding in an event driven virtual link aggregation (VLAG) system

Physical links between an access switch and a pair aggregation switches are aggregated into a virtual link aggregation group (vLAG). Each aggregation switch is a local switch to itself and a remote switch to the other aggregation switch. Each aggregation switch maintains a state machine including initialization, local-up, remote-up, and formed states. In the initialization state, the physical link between the access switch and each aggregation switch is down, and the vLAG is down. In the local-up state, just the physical link between the access switch and the local switch is up, and the vLAG is down. In the remote-up state, just the physical link between the access switch and the remote switch is up, and the vLAG is down. In the formed state, the physical link between the access switch and each aggregation switch is up, and the vLAG is up.

Growing community of inventors

Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Venkatesan Selvaraj